


A Merry Super-Christmas

by Moonyki



Category: EXO (Band), SHINee, SuperM (Korea Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Taekai being very domestic, and also Taekai being dads, super family, super powers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-18 16:45:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21730621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonyki/pseuds/Moonyki
Summary: Christmas is coming. In the Lee household, this means that there are traditions to follow, decorations to hang, biscuits to eat, presents to open... And everything is busy & joyful & merry.This year is a little tricky, though, with one kid constantly trying to fly away and another who starts questioning the existence of Santa Claus... but Taemin & Jongin are the perfect team to deal with those kinds of problems. After all, Jongin is a Superhero. And Taemin is a Super Dad.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Lee Taemin
Comments: 34
Kudos: 107





	1. Hot Chocolate

**Author's Note:**

> This Collection has been written for the Taekai Christmas Cheers Week on Twitter. ♥

.

It's windy and snowing, and Taemin is trying desperately to keep his son upright, but Baekhyun keeps bouncing around on the slick pavement in front of the school. He’s already almost fallen twice in the past three minutes, but that doesn't seem to be enough to keep him in place. Taemin is fighting to put a pompom beanie on his child's head while Baekhyun continues to hop in circles, babbling about his day, his friends, the Christmas decorations they made during class, and what he ate for lunch. All of which is obviously very precious and extremely important information that he must share with his father and his little brother immediately. While still running.

"We made snowmen with wool and cardboard, but I thought: it's snowing! So it's snowing in the garden too, right? So I told my friend Taeyong, I told him you see. I told him that we could make real snowmen. Can we make a real snowman together when we get home?"

"Only if you let me put your gloves on, sweetheart."

"Oh. Alright then."

Baekhyun stops and stands very still, holding out his hands for Taemin to fit the gloves around his small fingers. Now, Baekhyun is finally at eye level with his brother who is wrapped up against Taemin's chest in a baby carrier that is obviously too small for him, but Taemin ran out of options because of the stroller issues.

Baekhyun smiles brightly at Yukhei, who bursts out laughing just like he always does whenever anyone so much as looks at him. Then Yukhei goes back to reaching for the falling snow and trying to eat it.

"Will Papa do it with us?"

"I'm sure he'd love to."

"Then I hope he gets home early enough," Baekhyun chattered, hopping next to his father again. "Dad, can we make hot chocolate when we get home? While we wait for Papa to get home? So we can make a snowman?"

Taemin hums softly, pretending to ponder it as he hears Baekhyun inhale deeply and hold his breath in anticipation. Yukhei lets out a small hiccup then laughs, squirms around in his holder, and shakes his hands in his brother's general direction, but Baekhyun is too busy staring at his father to notice him.

"I suppose we could," Taemin lets out.

Baekhyun squeals in excitement, Yukhei immediately imitating him.

"Can we have marshamallows?"

"It's marshmallows, sweetie."

"Marshamallows," Baekhyun repeats.

"Mashaow," Yukhei tries, his lips slick with drool.

"Can we?" Baekhyun insists.

"We can," Taemin says with a grin.

And Baekhyun erupts in another shriek.

After that, everything happens so fast. Baekhyun jumps up again with another squeal that turns into a gasp when he's swept off his feet. The gasp quickly turns into a scream. Taemin freezes in fear as his son’s tiny hand leaves his. He spins around, eyes wide with anguish, and Yukhei giggles.

"Papa!" Yukhei exclaims.

Jongin disappears, reappearing a few feet away, just in time to catch Baekhyun and throw him in the air again, the child’s scared cries turning into shrieks of joy in less than a second.

Taemin exhales loudly, staring at his husband with a deep frown on his face.

"Lee Jongin! I told you not to effing do that! Are you trying to give me a heart attack? What if he fell? What if people saw you? What if-"

Jongin catches Baekhyun again and holds him against his chest as he leans toward Taemin and presses a soft kiss to his cheek with a grin.

"Sorry, Taeminnie," Jongin interrupts his rambling husband.

"Papa! You're here! You don't work anymore? We want to make a snowman. Will you do it with us?" Baekhyun exclaims. "We're even going to get hot chocolates. With marshamallows! And I made a snowman in school. It's in my bag so we can hang it on the tree when we put it up, and Taeyong helped me a little, but I mostly did it alone, and it looks really nice! So will you make a real snowman with us? Please!"

Jongin chuckles and pinches Baekhyun's nose. His 6 ½-year-old puffs his cheeks in protest, and Jongin kisses his forehead.

"Slow down, sweetheart. You're talking too fast again."

"Sorry."

"Papa!" Yukhei shouts again, and Jongin leans in to kiss his forehead too.

"Why is Yukhei in his baby carrier?" Jongin asks, tilting his head with a confused look at his husband.

Taemin sighs.

"It's too much of a hassle to try to keep him in his stroller. No matter what I do to make it heavier and keep it on the ground, he keeps flying away... with or without the stroller, I might add. Maybe we should buy a larger carrier... or a harness and a leash. I don't know."

Jongin can’t help but giggle at that, earning himself another stern glance from his husband.

"Stop laughing."

"It's funny though," Jongin tries to argue.

"I suppose it is when you're not the one looking after him all day and trying to keep him to the ground."

"Papa," Baekhyun interrupts. "You didn't answer me."

Jongin straightens up, Baekhyun still in his arms, and looks at his son with wide eyes.

"Oh, right. A snowman, huh?"

"Yeah... Are you coming home with us?"

Jongin smirks at that and starts wiggling his eyebrows.

"I'm done with work, but who said we’re going home?"

"Oooooooooh," Baekhyun breathes out, Yukhei mimicking him again.

"I heard something about hot chocolate and marshmallows, right?" Jongin asks, faking uncertainty.

Taemin sighs with a playful roll of his eyes and moves closer to his husband, wrapping one arm around Jongin's waist with a little grin.

"And," Jongin continues, "where do we find the best hot chocolate in the world...? I'm asking you, Baekhyunnie."

Baekhyun starts blinking, looks down at Yukhei who giggles at him, and then nods.

"Germany!" Baekhyun screams, throwing his arms in the air.

"Oh boy," Taemin chuckles. "You wanna do the countdown, Baekkie?"

"One!"

"Wah," Yukhei laughs.

"Two!"

"Tuh!"

"Three!"

"Tee!"

Jongin smirks, and they disappear from the empty street, reappearing in a little alley on a different continent. The sun is bright. It's earlier in the day and colder than where they came from. Yukhei is squinting, tossing his head left and right as if a little disoriented by the teleportation. Baekhyun shivers in his father's hold.

"Germany is cold," he pouts.

"Oh dear, I hope the shop is open," Taemin murmurs. "You always forget about time differences..."

Jongin purses his lips, eyes widening in guilt before he starts coughing.

"Hey, we're here for the best hot chocolate in the world. You should be grateful."

Baekhyun snuggles into his father's chest and nods.

"Thank you, Papa."

"Now," Jongin hums as he turns around and frees himself from Taemin's arm. "I'm sure Mrs. Jana's shop is open. Come on."

They walk over to a slightly larger street, and within a couple of seconds, the little coffee shop that witnessed Jongin and Taemin's very first date, many years ago, comes into view. Taemin can't help how his face softens, his heart racing at the lovely memories coming back to him. Jongin, Baekhyun, and Yukhei are rejoicing about the lights they see inside, and they all hurry to enter, sighing in delight at the warmth welcoming them.

Mrs. Jana has grown old since Taemin first saw her. His heart is still fluttering in his chest when Jongin takes Baekhyun to a table by the window, where they can see outside at how the sun is still rising in the sky. Baekhyun immediately grabs the blanket on his seat and snuggles into it.

Jongin always takes them to the same table, and Taemin's heart is melting. His husband looks up at him with a gentle smile; he knows exactly what's going on in Taemin's cheesy mind right now.

"Will you order for us, Taeminnie?"

"Unless you finally decided to learn German, of course I will," Taemin simpers.

Jongin sticks out his tongue at him, and Baekhyun starts cackling behind his hands until he realizes that he can take off his hat and gloves now.  
  


  
It only takes a few minutes for Mrs. Jana to bring them their order. There are four large mugs of hot chocolate with marshmallows, cinnamon, and vanilla on the table. Yukhei's cup is far too big for him, but Taemin knows better than to give his toddler a different one than his older brother. Baekhyun is already talking about finishing Yukhei's cup if his brother can't handle it. There are also cinnamon rolls and cookies shaped like little moons, gingerbread men, and Christmas trees on the table, and Yukhei is drooling all over a piece of gingerbread, sitting on a special chair that Taemin hopes he won't fly away with.

Taemin looks at Baekhyun, brushing his son's hair away from his face as Baekhyun drinks his hot chocolate and covers his nose with cream in the process. Then he feels Jongin's hand taking his and lacing their fingers together. Jongin brings their hands to his face and kisses Taemin's knuckles slowly. A light blush begins to spread across Taemin's cheeks.

"I'm glad you got off work early," Taemin says softly. "Thank you for bringing us here again."

"You're welcome," Jongin grins. "It's our Christmas tradition, right? I wouldn't miss it for anything in the world."

Baekhyun is busy breaking all of his cookies in half to give a piece of each to his little brother, who keeps muttering "no" while stuffing his face with everything Baekhyun hands him.

Jongin looks at the kids, and Taemin looks at him.

"I love you," Taemin whispers.

Jongin turns back to his husband, and something is wavering in his eyes that makes him purse his lips and brings a smile to Taemin.

"Thank you," Jongin says, squeezing Taemin's hand in his. "I love you too."

.

.

.


	2. Christmas Tree

.

Baekhyun is bouncing around all over the living-room, and Taemin has given up on reminding him of that time when he jumped too hard, fell, twisted his ankle, and was stuck walking on crutches for a few weeks. He knows that it's no use, especially when the living-room is overrun by the boxes that Jongin just brought in from the cellar. Baekhyun hops from box to box with Yukhei waddling behind him and giggling so hard that he keeps snorting.

"Where are the hats?" Baekhyun whines. "I can't find the hats! Papa! I can't find them!"

"The ha'," Yukhei screams after him. "Papa! Ha'!"

Jongin turns around from where he’s rummaging through one of the boxes and looks up to see both of his kids pouting.

"I don't know, have you looked in the box by the door? I brought all the boxes in, so they must be here somewhere!"

Baekhyun sighs dramatically but before he can continue complaining, there's a Christmas hat dropped on his head, and he cranes his neck to see his dad grinning at him.

"Got them!"

"Yoohoo!"

Baekhyun immediately takes his hat off just to make sure it’s the one that shines and twinkles, and then he beams with satisfaction when he sees the little star-shaped lights. The batteries stopped working two years ago, but the hat still lights up as soon as Baekhyun puts it back on his head.

"Thanks, Dad!"

Taemin hums in response as he starts assembling the different parts of their Christmas tree in the corner of the room. They had bought a gigantic fake tree after a four and a half year old Baekhyun made an entire presentation on how heartbreaking it was to cut down so many trees and throw them away a few weeks later. Jongin is sitting in front of the chimney with Yukhei, sorting through the stockings that need hung, while Baekhyun is unwrapping all of the little decorations they have.

Soft music plays in the background as they all shuffle around the room, leaving a Santa Claus here or a snowman there, arranging the Christmas mugs on display, and changing the kitchen towels to one’s with Christmas trees on them. Baekhyun decides that he wants to hang a tinsel garland on the stair rail, and Yukhei immediately follows after him. Jongin starts to go after them to make sure nobody gets hurt, but Taemin grabs his husband's hand and forces him into a silly waltz around the living room.

"But, Taeminnie, the stairs... Yukhei..." Jongin protests weakly.

"The stairs will be fine."

Jongin giggles and gives in. He sets his arms around Taemin's neck and steals a kiss as they turn and dance together to the hum of the soft music still playing, Baekhyun's loud singing, and Yukhei's laughter.

"That kid never stops laughing," Jongin says softly as he looks over Taemin's shoulder to peek at their kids who are slowly making their way down the stairs, leaving decorations everywhere.

"That's his real superpower," Taemin agrees.

Jongin looks back at him with bright eyes and nods without a word. He holds Taemin closer, smiling as he leaves a trail of soft kisses on his neck.

"Hey!" Baekhyun suddenly shouts. "Stop dancing, you two. We have work to do!"

"Stop!" Yukhei gasps right after. "No!"

Taemin grins and tousles Jongin's hair before he lets go of him and goes back to arranging the garlands of lights all around the room with Baekhyun's watchful eyes following him.

"Hey, Munchkin. I can dance with your Dad if I want to," Jongin tells his son with a mock scowl.

"Not when we're decorating," Baekhyun sighs. "You can dance later."

"No!" Yukhei exclaims.

"I can do whatever I want," Jongin simpers.

Baekhyun looks at him sternly with a frown and shakes his head slowly.

"Papa, you're impossible."

Baekhyun hops off of the stairs and goes back to the living room, a waddling Yukhei always behind him, and Jongin can perfectly hear Taemin coughing loudly to mask his laugh.

"I can't believe this," Jongin grumbles. "Who raised this kid?"

"Us," Taemin chirps, appearing by the doorway with a grin. "Now, stop sulking and come on, we're going to do the tree!"

"The tree!" Baekhyun yells.

"Tee!" Yukhei screams even louder.

Baekhyun starts running around to fetch all of the Christmas decorations he made in school this year, especially his snowman which he is very proud of. Soon Jongin has his eldest son on his shoulders so that Baekhyun can reach the highest parts of the tree while Taemin hangs a few baubles and Santa figures on the bottom with Yukhei. There are a few star and bear ornaments, a little fox too because Yukhei really likes foxes, and Baekhyun very proudly hangs a hand-painted bauble which he knows is his parents' favorite. They’ve both told him that story a million times: how they found the ornament with a family of bears on it in a Christmas market in Europe, barely a week before Christmas; how it was a sign of their own family suddenly growing as, only a couple of days later, Jongin brought Baekhyun home, a tiny, pouting baby wrapped in soft blankets who smiled as soon as he saw Taemin.

"It was the best Christmas ever," Taemin always whispers at the end of the story.

It's Baekhyun's favorite Christmas story and favorite ornament, and it always has a very special spot on their tree, right in the middle where everyone can see it.  
They're almost done when Baekhyun is the first one to notice that the star they always put on top of the tree is missing. Jongin immediately starts rummaging through the mostly empty boxes, sighing and puffing and mumbling about where that fudgecicle star could be hiding, but Taemin's exclamation stops him.

"I got it!"

"Dad!" Baekhyun perks up. "You always find everything! You're the best!"

Taemin smirks proudly and kneels in front of Yukhei, who is currently playing with the star by the couch.

"Yukhei, can I have the star now?" Taemin asks gently.

His son looks up, his tiny fists tightening around the star as he smiles.

"No!"

"Of course," Taemin sighs.

Baekhyun and Jongin join him, squatting around Yukhei who looks at them all in turn, apparently very happy with the sudden attention he's getting.

"Baby, we need to put it on top of the tree," Jongin explains softly, patting Yukhei's head.

"No," Yukhei repeats with a giggle.

"But Xuxi'!" Baekhyun sighs. "It's very important, look! The whole tree is done. We only need the star. Please!"

"No no no," Yukhei repeatedly babbles. "Yok!"

Taemin looks around and grabs a little stuffed reindeer from the couch.

"Don't you want this one instead?"

"No."

Jongin shakes his head with a disappointed pout to Taemin.

"That would have been too easy, Taeminnie. He won't fall for something like that."

"Well, there's no hurt in trying..."

Baekhyun brings his hands together and looks at his little brother with pleading, puppy dog eyes.

"Please, Yukhei!"

"No."

And Baekhyun starts sulking because he keeps forgetting that Yukhei is somehow immune to his puppy eyes.

But then Yukhei lets go of the star to suck on one of his hands, the other trying to reach for Jongin, and Taemin jolts, diving in to retrieve the star, only to fall back with his momentum as the star stays right where it is, standing in front of Yukhei.

"Taeminnie? Are you okay?" Jongin asks.

"What on Earth?" Taemin gasps, blinking rapidly as Yukhei erupts in yet another fit of laughter.

Baekhyun reaches out one hand to grab the star, but no matter how hard he tries, the star doesn't move, as if it were planted deep into the ground.

"What's happening?" Baekhyun wonders aloud, his voice going acute.

"No, no, no!" Yukhei shakes his head.

Jongin can't help but try too, and he sighs when he fails.

"What did he do now? This feels like the sword in the stone."

"This is new," Taemin whines. "I've never seen him do anything like this."

Yukhei claps his hands together and then picks up the star as if it were nothing, brandishing it proudly over his head as he falls back against Jongin's legs.

"Yok!" Yukhei says, looking at his father with a tilt of his head.

"You want to put it on by yourself?"

Yukhei's smile turns very soft, and Jongin sets him back on his butt. Under his whole family’s confused looks, Yukhei lets go of the star in his hands, and it slowly levitates. Baekhyun gasps, his lips breaking into a smile. The star goes up and up and up, floating across the living room and making its way to the top of the tree.  
"You're almost there," Taemin whispers gently, patting his son's hair as he keeps an eye on the star.

Yukhei gets up by relying on Jongin's legs and walks to Taemin, extending his arms to his Dad in a silent request to be held. Taemin picks him up with a soft chuckle, and the star slowly sets itself on the top branch of the tree, perfectly in place.

"You're amazing," Taemin murmurs before he presses a soft kiss to Yukhei's cheek.

"Bravo!" Baekhyun suddenly cries out. "It's done! Bravo, Yukhei! We did great!"

"We aren't done though, are we?" Jongin teases, nudging Baekhyun with a wink. "It's Superhero time."

Baekhyun looks up to his father with the biggest grin on his face and nods.

"Make it pretty, Baekhyunnie," Taemin sing-songs. "Baekhyunnie! Baekhyunnie! Baekhyunnie!"

"Baebyunie! Baebyunie!" Yukhei imitates.

Baekhyun starts rubbing his hands together with a wide smile, and all the lights in the house suddenly turn off. Yukhei gasps in surprise, jolting in Taemin's arms, and Jongin does a fake drum roll on his thighs as Baekhyun takes a long, loud inhale to focus.

"Pew!" Baekhyun roars as he throws his arms in the air.

Instantly, all of the Christmas lights scattered around the house light up, bathing them in a soft, multi-colored glow.

Baekhyun is quiet, eyes bright as he looks in awe at their Christmas tree, and Jongin is suddenly emotional seeing how the lights reflect in his son's eyes. He keeps thinking that out of all the superpowers he’s seen in his life, his son truly has the most beautiful of them all.

"Pretty," Yukhei says.

He squirms in Taemin's arms, wanting to be let down so he can toddle to his brother. Baekhyun exhales loudly and then starts bouncing, taking Yukhei's hand to take him to the windows.

"Xuxi and I will decorate the windows now," he says. "You can dance together if you want."

"Thank you for your permission," Jongin taunts.

Taemin pinches his ribs softly and pulls him into his arms.

"Stop complaining and dance with me."

"I ain't complaining!"

Taemin holds him close, pressing his face into Jongin's neck as they dance in front of the fireplace.

"I can't ever thank you enough for bringing them to me..." Taemin says as he looks at their kids with a fond smile and tender eyes.

Taemin's voice is faint and muffled, but it still makes Jongin's heart squeeze in his chest.

"Anything for you."

Taemin smiles, then lifts his head so he can meet his husband’s gaze. He smiles and rubs their noses together. Jongin steals a kiss.

Baekhyun and Yukhei are barely halfway through with covering the first window when they take a little break to join their parents and wiggle their little butts to some Christmas songs.

.

.

.


	3. Baking Cookies

.

The kitchen is a happy mess. Jongin spreads the almond and cinnamon dough evenly across the table for them to cut into shapes while Taemin is already taking the first batch of cookies out of the oven. Yukhei is singing something nobody can understand while playing with his star cookie cutter, and Baekhyun is still kneading the next batch of dough, a honey-flavored one.

It's Sunday, and the whole family is excitedly baking Christmas cookies together. Yukhei keeps messing up at cutting his dough, but since both Jongin and Baekhyun spent ten minutes trying to show him how to do it properly, to no avail, they’ve decided to let him do as he pleases. Nobody minds anyway.

The smell of freshly baked cookies invades the whole house as they gather around the table, each with a different cookie cutter to press into the dough that Jongin proudly spread.

They're all wearing Christmas aprons, but that hasn’t prevented Baekhyun from getting flour in his hair.

"Will we have enough cookies so that I can give some to Taeyong?" Baekhyun asks.

"Of course, sweetheart," Taemin answers.

"O'course," Yukhei nods.

Baekhyun rejoices for a moment before he starts singing a Christmas carol, and the whole family is soon joining in and giggling to each other. When there isn't enough dough left to cut into shapes-even for Yukhei who doesn't seem to care that his cookie cutter is bigger than the remaining dough- Baekhyun starts begging to please let him spread the next one.

"I'll be careful! I'll do it right!"

With a happy smile, Jongin hands over the rolling pin while Taemin proceeds to put the new batch in the oven. When he turns around, he is facing three butts in the air as their owners are bent over the table, trying to work the dough. Taemin can't help but smile.

"Yok! Yok!" Yukhei whines.

It's a little too difficult, Xuxi. We'll cut forms together later, but let your brother do this part," Jongin says as softly as he can to avoid upsetting his toddler.

Yukhei blinks a couple of times before he smiles broadly, and Jongin sighs with relief. Then a short melody rings throughout the house, causing the four of them to freeze for a moment. Then, Taemin's shoulders drop. He can see how Baekhyun is looking up at his father with pleading eyes, and Jongin winces as he straightens up. Without a word, he leaves the kitchen, throwing an apologetic glance to his husband, and Taemin just nods as he takes Jongin's place between their kids.

It's silent in the kitchen for a little while, and Baekhyun goes back to spreading the dough with far less energy. When Jongin comes back, he looks somber.

"I have to go to work."

"I know," Taemin hums and forces a smile. "Come back quickly."

Jongin swallows hard and moves closer to press a couple of kisses to Baekhyun's forehead.

"I'm sorry, guys," he whispers before he leans in toward Yukhei and kisses him the same way.

"It's okay, Papa," Baekhyun states bravely.

Taemin watches as Jongin puts his coat and scarf on before he turns back around with an apologetic grimace.

"They really need me," Jongin whispers, and Taemin walks over to him and strokes his husband's hair away from his forehead.

"I know," Taemin says again.

He tilts his head up to reach Jongin’s mouth and kisses him softly, his hands tightening in Jongin's shirt. When Taemin pulls back, his husband looks reluctant to part from him. Jongin leaves a few more kisses on Taemin's lips, cheeks, and nose before he murmurs a soft goodbye and disappears. Taemin sighs and closes his eyes; he's trying to calm down the furious beating of his heart by breathing slowly. He then feels two arms circling his waist, and he gasps as he looks down at Baekhyun, who is rubbing his face against his father's hip.

"Yok, Yok!" Yukhei whines as he tries to waddle to them as fast as possible so he can wrap his body around Taemin's leg.

And Taemin starts laughing, albeit a little nervously.

"Hey," he says, "Why this sudden attack?"

Baekhyun cranes his neck to look up at him and purses his lips.

"It's okay, Dad... Papa will be back soon."

Taemin's smile falters slightly, and he slowly squats down to hug both of his kids tight.

"Yes, he will. And you know what will make him very happy?"

"Cookie!" Yukhei exclaims.

"Exactly. We should finish the cookies for when Papa gets home," Taemin nods.

"I think Papa will be very happy if we order chicken too."

Taemin starts laughing and pats Baekhyun's butt softly.

"Yes, he will. But for now, the cookies!"

They get back to the table just in time for Taemin to take the latest batch of cookies out of the oven. They keep baking until the whole kitchen is filled with trays of Christmas trees, Gingerbread men, moons, stars, reindeer, and snowmen. Yukhei ends up getting tired of cutting shapes and just plays with the cookie cutters while standing on a chair since he refused to go in his high chair, but Baekhyun is still working hard as if their whole Christmas depended on those cookies.

Once they're all done cutting shapes, Taemin and Baekhyun start preparing the icing, and Yukhei finally joins them again as they decorate all of the cookies. Baekhyun is sticking his tongue out in concentration as he tries to make his cookies as pretty as possible, while Yukhei uses his fingers to paint his cookies and eats more icing than he puts on the cookies. He ends up with green and red icing all over his face, and Taemin takes a few pictures in between two fits of laughter. Immediately after, he sends the pictures to Jongin.

Eventually, the two children get tired of decorating cookies; even Baekhyun starts pouting and sighing, and Taemin takes that as his cue to free them. It takes a little while to clean them both up, especially Yukhei who suddenly finds it very amusing to fly around the bathroom instead of having his face rubbed with a washcloth, but once both of them are clean as a whistle, Taemin puts them in front of a Disney movie and goes back to the kitchen to finish the cookies.

Baekhyun is very attentive to his favorite movie, but Yukhei keeps running from the living room to the kitchen, waving at his father, giggling, going back to his brother, poking his thighs, laughing some more, and then waddling back to Taemin.

Once the kitchen is clean again and the cookies are done, Taemin joins them in front of the TV, catching a running Yukhei in his arms to watch the end of Mulan. Baekhyun is reciting half the lines and singing each song by heart, even standing up sometimes to perform some moves just like Li Shang.

They order chicken, but Jongin still hasn’t come home, and Taemin is doing his best not to show his worry to his kids. He should be used to it by now, but no matter how many times he sees Jongin teleport away in urgency, there's still a rock setting deep in his stomach anytime he’s gone.

They play Robin Hood next because it's Yukhei's favorite Disney movie. They save a whole bucket of chicken for Jongin, while Baekhyun and Taemin feast on the other one together around the coffee table. It makes Baekhyun ecstatic because it always feels like a party when they eat anywhere that isn't the kitchen table, and Yukhei rejoices in turn while sitting on Taemin's thigh.

"Dada! Yok want cookie! Please!" Yukhei asks with a big smile, halfway through his bowl of mashed potatoes, carrots, and chicken.

"Once you're done with your supper," Taemin tells him as he keeps feeds him another bite.

"No," Yukhei says with a frown, still eating every bite that Taemin gives him.

Taemin smiles.

"You don't really get that whole 'no' thing, do you?" Taemin whispers.

"I can't eat anymore," Baekhyun says suddenly with a dramatic sigh and a little burp.

"Oh really? No cookie then?"

Baekhyun glances sideways at his father, snorting at the smirk on Taemin's lips.

"I still have a very small space left for cookies."

"As expected."

"Papa can eat what's left of the chicken, right?"

"Oh yes. I’m sure he will."

After, they binge on cookies, they retreat to the couch for another movie. Once Robin Hood comes to an end, Yukhei and Taemin are both asleep on each other, and Baekhyun swiftly takes the opportunity to change the DVD and start playing Monsters Inc.

He falls asleep mid-movie, and that's how Jongin finds them when he teleports back home with a tired sigh. The sight makes him melt, and very quietly, he takes off his coat, his scarf, and his shoes. Jongin turns off the TV and picks Yukhei up to take him to bed, then does the same with Baekhyun. He cleans up the coffee table before he sits on the couch next to his husband and slowly pulls Taemin into his arms, smiling as he watches him stir with a pout.

"Jonginnie?"

"Hey," Jongin kisses his nose.

"You're back," Taemin breathes out, straightening a little with a quick blink.

He's suddenly awake, relief written all over his face. Then he looks around, frowning.

"What-..."

"They were already asleep when I arrived. I put them to bed."

Taemin winces.

"They haven't brushed their teeth though..."

"I didn't have the courage to wake them up for that."

Taemin hums softly as he snuggles closer to Jongin.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"No, everything's fine," Jongin whispers.

Taemin tilts his head to get a kiss, and Jongin holds him close.

"What did I miss?" Jongin asks softly.

Taemin shifts to sit on Jongin's lap and cuddles up to him as he narrates the events of the afternoon and evening, and Jongin laughs sweetly at his kids' mischief.  
Jongin keeps Taemin curled up in his arms as he takes him to the kitchen. Only then does Taemin peel himself off of Jongin to let him eat as Jongin tells him about his latest mission and assures him that everything is alright now. None of his friends got hurt.

Jongin eats the entire bucket of chicken saved for him as well as Baekhyun's leftovers and steals a few cookies before they call it a night. They lie curled up together in bed and catch a little sleep before Yukhei wakes them up at dawn the next morning, demanding cookies for breakfast.

.

.

.


	4. Is Santa Real?

.

They're all eating dinner, and Yukhei is babbling incoherent words to Jongin, describing his day, and Jongin can only understand because he's Yukhei's father. He nods to his son and occasionally punctuates Yukhei's chaotic rant with an "oh" or "ah" or "really, sweetheart?" that makes Taemin smile fondly.

Baekhyun, on the other hand, is uncharacteristically quiet as he munches on his vegetables. He's been looking very serious ever since he came home from school, but despite all of Taemin's gentle tries and Jongin's jokes, he’s refused to tell to them what it is that’s so obviously wrong with him.

That is until he solemnly sets down his chopsticks and sighs loudly to get everyone's attention. Yukhei giggles at how thoughtful Baekhyun looks, then lets out a short exclamation and goes back to eating and playing with his sticky rice.

"Someone said something at school today," Baekhyun says slowly, in the theatrical and enigmatic way a six year old uses to try to speak like adults.

He wants to observe his fathers' reactions. Taemin is trying not to laugh, and Jongin simply smiles.

"What did they say?" Jongin asks softly as he wipes Yukhei's mouth.

Baekhyun squints and folds his hands on the table; his tone turns accusing.

"Garam said that Santa Claus doesn't exist."

The room falls silent except for Yukhei who hiccups twice and tries to grab some kimchi with his plastic chopsticks. Taemin discreetly tries to steal a glance at Jongin.  
It has always been extremely important to Jongin that their kids believe in Santa Claus, and magic, and Christmas. They’ve talked about it a lot, or rather, Jongin has ranted at Taemin about it multiple times already.

Taemin wonders what they should do now and if Jongin wants to keep lying to Baekhyun or finally come out with the truth. They haven't spoken about an age limit to the whole thing.

Thankfully, Yukhei doesn't seem to be paying any attention to what's going on or the debate at hand; he's far too busy eating kimchi while no one is watching him.  
Jongin and Baekhyun are caught in a staring contest, both unblinking. Jongin's face is so blank that even Taemin cannot tell what's on his mind, which feels very strange to him. Then, Jongin snorts and turns back to his plate to take a bite.

"And you believed him?" he simpers.

Taemin hides his laugh in a cough as he hears Baekhyun gasp.

"He said that our parents and family give us all of our presents and that only babies believe in Santa Claus!" Baekhyun cries out in protest.

Jongin continues looking at him with a solemn expression before he sighs.

"So, you believed him... I see."

Baekhyun purses his lips and finally looks at Taemin for support with a pout.

"Dad, what's true?" Baekhyun whines.

"Well..." Taemin starts, but Jongin interrupts him.

"Santa Claus is real."

Baekhyun freezes and opens his eyes wide, staring at his father, and even little Yukhei stops chirping as if he finally senses that the discussion currently happening is very serious.

Baekhyun purses his lips and squints his eyes in suspicion.

"Is he?"

Jongin turns to his son and tilts his head slightly.

"Does Garam know about me?"

Baekhyun frowns; he looks confused.

"Does Garam know about superheroes?" Jongin says, and Baekhyun gasps.

"Oh. No."

"That's what I thought," Jongin nods. "Garam doesn't know how things truly are."

He scoots closer to his son, and Taemin is doing all he can not to lose it from the atmosphere in the room. Jongin looks so serious, as if he truly and deeply believed every single lie going through his teeth.

"Santa Claus is real. He's the one who brings magic and happiness during Christmas. You'll hear people say it's impossible to deliver so many presents in just one night, but those people... do they know what your father is capable of? No, they don't. Nikolaus's powers are far greater than mine! He can do impossible things! He can make reindeers fly; he can speak to elves; he can bring love and comfort to people who need it..."

"Is Nikolaus a superhero?" Baekhyun asks, breathless.

"Would you give any other name to someone whose entire raison d'etre is to bring happiness to children?"

Jongin ends his argument by pressing his index on Baekhyun's nose.

The whole kitchen is silent for a moment until Baekhyun suddenly smiles brightly and squeals. Yukhei immediately starts giggling.

"I knew it!" Baekhyun cries out. "I knew Garam was lying!"

"He doesn't know better," Jongin says with a sad sigh. "It's not his fault if he doesn't have superpowers and isn't close to any superheroes."

Baekhyun is beaming, and all the lights in the house start shining brighter.

"He even said that Jack Frost wasn't real either," Baekhyun says with wide eyes, as if that was the last straw, the final point that clearly proved how wrong his friend had been.

Jongin scoffs.

"The fool," Taemin says with a dramatic roll of his eyes.

"I didn't tell him that I know Jack, though, nor that it isn't his real name," Baekhyun hurries to say, "because I can keep secrets, and I know I shouldn't talk about uncle Minseok's powers."

"I'm really proud of you, Baekhyunnie," Jongin says with a small smile.

The rest of the dinner is loud and joyful. Baekhyun rants about all the proof and pieces of evidence he has that Santa is real as well as all the elves in the North Pole. Jongin encourages him, Yukhei keeps laughing, and Taemin starts a debate about the Easter Bunny.

  
The next morning, after wishing Taemin and Yukhei a nice day, Jongin teleports to work and slams the door of the laboratory open, startling all of his coworkers and friends. Chanyeol immediately turns on his chair with a big, welcoming smile, Junmyeon barely glances up from his computer screen, and a few others around the room shout out greetings, but Jongin doesn't pay attention to any of them.

"25 000 wons to anyone willing to pretend to be Santa Claus at my house on Christmas night," he says loudly.

There's silence in the large room, all of Jongin’s friends giving each other strange looks and frowning at him.

"I'm serious," he whines. "Baekhyun is starting to have doubts, and I'm pretty sure he's going to set something up to see Santa Claus. Someone's gotta help me out."

Jongdae starts laughing, immediately followed by Minseok, and Jongin groans.

"Come on, 30 000 wons."

"I can do it, if you want," Junmyeon says with a shrug.

Jongin turns to him with a smile.

"Really? Perfect! You're hired!"

"Wait!" Chanyeol cries out. "Wait, I'll do it for free!"

Jongin blinks repeatedly as the teenager comes bounding up to him with a grin.

"Please, please! I want to do it for Baekhyunnie!"

Jongin snorts and glances at Junmyeon.

"Junmyeon, you're fired. Chanyeol, you're hired. But with no pay."

Chanyeol immediately lets out a loud shout of happiness, and Junmyeon rolls his eyes, mumbling that he doesn't care and that he only proposed to do it to help out.

"Great, thanks! I won't disappoint!" Chanyeol chirps.

Jongin snorts and finally walks over to his desk, getting rid of his coat as he sits down next to Kyungsoo, who's giving him a very stern look over his glasses.

"What?" Jongin asks.

"Hi."

"Hi. Stop looking at me like that."

"I can't believe you're dumb enough to think that your son won't recognize Chanyeol dressed up as Santa."

Jongin freezes, blinks, and then frowns.

"You think he will?"

"Have you seen the kid?" Kyungsoo sighs, tilting his head toward Chanyeol, who has knocked his hot chocolate off his desk and is loudly apologizing to everyone as he tries to clean it up. "He's a walking disaster. Even if Baekhyun doesn't immediately recognize his babysitter, I'm pretty sure Chanyeol will trip and lose his beard, and your son will hate you for the next decade for lying to him."

Jongin pouts as he watches Chanyeol; Kyungsoo definitely has a point.

"Chanyeol?" he calls loudly.

The teenager looks up with a smile and quickly comes to him.

"Yes?"

"You can't be Santa," Jongin sighs. "I just realized that Baekhyun will see right through it."

Kyungsoo snorts and turns back to his screen as Chanyeol's whole face crumbles into sadness.

"What? But-... Wait. I'll dress up, obviously! I'll put on heavy makeup, and uh-... I-... I can fake a limp! I'll make myself look small. I can do that!"

Jongin scrunches his face as he hums softly. He feels a little bad to have gotten Chanyeol's hopes so high only to crush them a couple of minutes later. He should have taken a minute to think it through, he realizes, especially since it concerns Chanyeol. He knows the 17 year old looks up to him and is completely whipped for his son; Jongin perfectly remembers Chanyeol holding back his tears the day Baekhyun proclaimed him as his best friend forever.

"Think about it," Jongin says, as gently as he can. "You're his best friend... He adores you so much... He will definitely recognize you."

Chanyeol opens his mouth but doesn't say anything. He sighs and pouts and crosses his arms over his chest before finally nodding.

"You're not wrong, but-..."

"We have to find someone else," Jongin says gravely.

"I will, then," Chanyeol decides, eyebrows furrowed in determination. "Don't you worry about anything. I'll find you the perfect Santa, one that Baekhyun can’t possibly recognize!"

"I said I could do it," Junmyeon says as he passes by.

Chanyeol looks up and waves him off with one hand, an annoyed expression on his face.

"No offense, Junmyeon-hyung, but you'd be terrible at it."

"How is that not offensive?" Junmyeon pouts.

"Baekhyunnie would recognize you too anyway," Chanyeol breathes out. "We need to find someone he doesn't see that often. I'll go check around in the other departments!"

Chanyeol hops on his toes and turns around, quickly leaving the room to run around the whole building in search of the perfect person to play Santa for Lee Baekhyun.

.

.

.


	5. Christmas Market

.

A small committee is there to fetch Baekhyun from school on the 6th December, for Saint Nicholas Day. It's another tradition that Baekhyun really looks forward to. He's been extremely excited for the whole day, chatting to Taeyong about how he found chocolate in his shoes that morning in addition to the usual sweet hidden in his Advent calendar, and Taeyong listened to him jealously, saying that his parents still haven’t been convinced to start such a thing in their house. They don't really get the whole Saint Nicholas thing, apparently.

When they get ready to leave school, though, Baekhyun hurries to get to the door before Taeyong, who is slow to pack, and takes out one of the big chocolate Santas he found waiting for him that morning, which he took to school on purpose, and leaves it in his friend's boot. He then smiles happily at his little trick and screams goodbye to all of his classmates before he runs off to meet his fathers, who must certainly be there already. But Baekhyun freezes as soon as he’s out the door, his eyes widening impossibly before he throws his arms in the air.

"Woohoo!" he yells.

And Yukhei, of course, imitates him from where he's sitting in the biggest baby holder Taemin could find. Baekhyun completely ignores his fathers and runs to Chanyeol who's smiling brightly at him and spreading his arms to catch him.

"Chanyeollie hyung! Chanyeollie hyung, you're here! Are you coming with us? Are you coming to the Christmas market?" Baekhyun squeals in happiness.

"Yes, I am!" Chanyeol beams.

Baekhyun roars and starts talking his best friend's ears off about all the things he did that day and all the things he wants to do at the Christmas market.

They're all walking, quite loudly, to a more secluded place for Jongin to teleport them. Taemin’s already made all the plans, talking Jongin out of his idea to take the family to Strasbourg, in France, because of the time difference. There was no point in going to a Christmas market in the morning and no, waking the kids up in the middle of the night to go to France wasn't an option either.

Chanyeol is very excited to teleport with the whole Lee family; it shows in the way his face brightens up when Baekhyun and Yukhei do the countdown together. And in the blink of an eye, they find themselves in Tokyo, Japan. Yukhei is disoriented and shaking his head in confusion after the teleportation, and Chanyeol is being dragged away by Baekhyun who can see the lights already, even from far away.

Yukhei is babbling and gesturing for his fathers to hurry after his brother and his best friend, so he’s not left behind. Jongin tightens his hold on Taemin's hand, kisses his husband's cheek, and pulls him forward, toward the Strasbourg Christmas Market in Tokyo.

"What's that name?" Chanyeol asks, confused.

"Strasbourg is a city in France," Taemin helpfully says. "They have one of the oldest and most famous Christmas Markets in Europe, and they imported it to Tokyo. It's the next best thing when you can't go all the way to Europe."

Chanyeol nods softly, and Baekhyun is already stamping his foot with impatience because he wants to go and eat a bunch of things covered in chocolate.

"Come on, Yeollie hyung! Let's go! Let's go!" he whines, pulling Chanyeol by his hand.

"Wait," Chanyeol starts laughing. "Just a minute."

Baekhyun starts pouting, and Chanyeol turns back to Jongin with a smile.

"Do you want me to take Yukhei too?" he offers.

"Uh? What?"

"I can take them both if you want to spend a little time together," Chanyeol says, looking between Taemin and Jongin with a grin.

"Really?" Jongin asks.

"Yeah, of course. If Yukhei wants to come with me…," Chanyeol laughs as he looks down at the toddler who opens his eyes wide and starts wiggling around even more.

"Yes, yes!"

Yukhei's immediate approval takes Taemin out of his surprise, and he frowns, putting one hand on Jongin's arm since his husband is already taking their kid out of his baby holder.

"Wait a minute, Jonginnie," Taemin mumbles before he looks at Chanyeol worriedly. "Are you sure you can handle him?"

"Yes, of course! I've already looked after him many times," Chanyeol shrugs.

"I mean, can you handle him amongst a crowd?" Taemin insists with a pointed look.

Baekhyun is sighing loudly, looking with forlorn eyes at all the Christmas stands that are waiting for him just a little further away, while those terrible adults discuss unnecessary things.

Chanyeol straightens up a little and nods, his face now serious.

"I'll be very careful with him, I promise. I'll also make sure not to stray too far from you. I'll just keep the kids entertained for you to stroll around, and we'll stay where you can see us."

Taemin seems satisfied with his answer, and he gives the teenager a small smile before he takes Yukhei out of the baby holder and leaves Jongin to take it off and give it to Chanyeol. It takes a couple of minutes for Chanyeol to get ready, and Baekhyun looks almost lifeless by his side, bored out of his mind. He's quick to bounce back to his energic self as soon as his best friend claps his hands.

"Let's go, boys!" Chanyeol roars.

Baekhyun and Yukhei both squeal loudly, and Taemin laughs.

"Thanks a lot, Chanyeol!" Jongin calls out as the three go off to brave the crowd.

Taemin snuggles closer to Jongin with a large smile, looking very proud of himself as he leans into Jongin's side.

"I was so inspired when I said we should invite Chanyeol, wasn't I?"

"Extremely," Jongin chuckles as he presses a kiss to Taemin's lips.

Abruptly, Taemin stills and widens his eyes.

"Wait a minute, Chanyeol can't speak Japanese, will they be okay?"

Jongin tightens his hold as Taemin is already moving to run to the kids, and pulls his husband back against him to steal another kiss.

"Actually, he does."

"Really?" Taemin asks, squinting in suspicion.

"Yeah. The kid is a genius... He doesn't speak as many languages as you, but he knows enough Japanese to survive this Christmas market."

Taemin relaxes in Jongin's arms, and they finally make their way to the little stands. Soon, Taemin sees Chanyeol looking back to them, making sure that they hadn’t gone too fast already, and it's enough to reassure him.

There's something about seeing Taemin all wrapped up in a big scarf and beanie, looking at Christmas lights with stars in his eyes, that Jongin can never get tired of. His heart jolts in his chest as he glances at his husband with a soft smile, happy just to see him close his eyes and inhale deeply to enjoy the warm smell of mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, and gingerbread that’s floating around.

They walk slowly, taking in the sight of each stand, and Taemin is always extremely excited to point out every polar bear figure they come across. They try on some ridiculous beanies and buy some chocolates to take back home. Then Jongin goes running to give some money to Chanyeol so the kids can treat themselves to waffles and hot chocolate. They eat a proper meal together a little later, which Baekhyun and Yukhei unsurprisingly cannot finish considering the number of sweets they’ve devoured.

Taemin gets five reindeer headbands of different sizes and distributes them around, helping Yukhei putting his on his head, and he swears Chanyeol gets teary as he wears his proudly.

Jongin drags them all to the little ice rink at the end of the Christmas market, and Taemin takes back Yukhei so that Baekhyun can play with his best friend safely. Yukhei is far too young to ice skate on his own, so he goes in between Taemin and Jongin, and the three of them skate together slowly, holding hands. Yukhei is laughing so hard he's snorting, and he screams every time Baekhyun quickly passes them, followed by a wobbly Chanyeol who doesn't seem that stable on his skates.

"I'm not good with ice, not good at all," he whines as he tries to keep up with Baekhyun.

Baekhyun keeps going long after his fathers and younger brother stop. They gather outside of the rink, eating churros as they wait for Chanyeol and Baekhyun to get tired of skating. Yukhei curls up in Taemin's arms, not even caring about the sweet food Jongin is trying to feed him. He shakes his head and whines softly before he puts his thumb in his mouth and lays his head on Taemin's shoulder, his eyes fluttering closed.

"I think it's time to head home," Jongin says softly, smiling at the sight of Yukhei falling asleep.

Taemin presses a few kisses to the top of his child's head before glancing at his husband.

"I didn't realize how late it was getting."

"Time goes quickly at Christmas markets," Jongin giggles.

They warn Baekhyun that they'll be leaving in five minutes, and after a little pout, Baekhyun ends up nodding. Jongin lets him play with Chanyeol for ten more minutes before he insists on taking them all home. Yukhei is still sleeping deeply on Taemin.

They all walk back to a secluded alley, Baekhyun on Chanyeol's back, and Jongin teleports them all home. Baekhyun is a little grumpy to have to part with his best friend, and the exhaustion from such a long, exciting day makes him quite pouty and whiny. It gets better when Chanyeol promises to come back on Sunday to play in the snow with him, maybe have a snowball fight.

"Thank you for everything," Taemin says softly to Chanyeol before he goes to put Yukhei to bed.

"You're very welcome! It was my pleasure!"

"Will you be okay, going home alone?" Jongin asks, squeezing Chanyeol's shoulder.

"It's only 10 pm, Hyung," Chanyeol snorts with a little smirk. "We stay out far later when we're on missions..."

"Still, get back home safely."

"I will."

Jongin closes the door as Chanyeol waves happily and leaves the front yard, then he quickly climbs the stairs to the second floor and finds Baekhyun asleep against the wall in the bathroom, his toothbrush still in his mouth. Jongin giggles as he wakes him up and takes him to his bedroom.

.

.

.


	6. Christmas Dinner

.

Chanyeol plays with Baekhyun and Yukhei all afternoon to give Taemin and Jongin time to prepare everything. He takes them on a sled tour around the neighborhood, then they make snowmen in the garden to welcome their visitors. They also make snow angels and even start to build an igloo but end up getting too cold and tired to finish it. When they go back inside, they crash on the couch with hot chocolate and cookies to watch Rise of the Guardians, and Chanyeol even multitasks by doing a puzzle with Yukhei while watching the movie with Baekhyun, just so the parents can prepare the big dinner they'll be hosting, and Taemin is truly grateful to have such a gem as a babysitter.

"Is Chanyeol happy with his family or can we adopt him?" Taemin asks as he takes a peek into the living room, smiling as he watches Yukhei happily squirming on Chanyeol's lap, playing with his legos.

Jongin laughs loudly and has to stop peeling the potatoes for a minute so he doesn’t accidently cut himself.

Once their movie is over, Baekhyun and Chanyeol offer to start setting the table. Baekhyun is very serious about the job while Yukhei runs from the kitchen with one spoon in hand, slams it on the table, and runs back to get another one.

The dinner is almost ready when the first guests arrive, and Baekhyun dramatically whines that he didn't have time to get ready as he runs to his room to change into his fancy Christmas clothes. Jongin goes to dress up Yukhei as well while Chanyeol and Taemin welcome Junmyeon and Sehun, followed by Minseok, Kibum, then Jongdae, and soon all of their friends are squeezed into the living room. Baekhyun runs around to everyone, greeting them and showing off his little tuxedo.

Yukhei is sitting on Minho's lap, playing with the adult's hands and bursting into waves of laughter every time Kyungsoo looks at him with wide eyes. Minho pinches Yukhei's cheeks softly, cooing at the toddler who keeps snorting as Kyungsoo wiggles his eyebrows at him.

"Doesn't he make you want to have children?" Minho sighs.

"Absolutely not," Kyungsoo immediately answers with a fond smile as he strokes Yukhei's cheek.

Jongdae can't help but snort into his drink, almost choking on it, and Minseok taps his back gently.

"Really?" Minho asks.

"I love children as long as they're not in my house," Kyungsoo shrugs.

Yukhei wiggles off of Minho's lap and lands softly on the ground. He heard Baekhyun laugh not too far away and is very determined to find his brother and hopefully join whatever fun game Baekhyun is playing.

"After seeing how well those two are growing up, I'd just be terrified of having bad kids," Minseok says as he watches Yukhei waddle away. "Like... they couldn’t be as cute as Baek and Xuxi."

Jongin is grinning next to him, looking like a 6 year old himself.

"I know right! I have the best kids."

"We," Taemin whines. "We have the best kids."

Jongin giggles, snuggles up to him, and steals a kiss.

"We do."

"They can be evil sometimes, though," Taemin pouts. "And I'm the one who has to deal with most of their whims and incidents."

Junmyeon perks up at that, looking at Taemin curiously.

"Have you found out yet?" he asks. "Have you found out what Yukhei's powers are?"

"No, we haven't," Taemin sighs.

"If I could-..." Junmyeon starts, but he's immediately cut off by Taemin.

"No more tests on my kid, Junmyeon. I mean it!"

"But I-..."

"No. More. Tests," Taemin frowns.

Junmyeon sighs and grumbles something into his glass but doesn't insist.

"What's the deal with Yukhei's powers?" Sehun asks, looking around for some sort of explanation. "I thought he could fly...? Isn't that it?"

There's a short silence, then Jongin squeezes his shoulder with a small smile.

"You sweet summer child..."

Sehun glares back at him.

"You must be new here," Kibum simpers with a smirk.

It's just as Sehun starts complaining and Taemin enumerates the numerous things other than flying that they keep seeing Yukhei pull off, that Chanyeol suddenly gasps, loud enough for everyone to turn to him. Taemin is fast as lightspeed, almost letting go of his drink, ready to run towards his kids and deal with whatever new accident happened.

"What's wrong?" Jongin almost yells.

Chanyeol points behind him with round eyes, making everyone turn to see Yukhei casually crawling up the wall on all fours, slowly inching towards the ceiling.

Taemin shrieks, Baekhyun screams in awe, and Jongin pushes everyone out of his way to grab his son before Yukhei gets out of reach.

"What on Earth!" Jongin chokes. "Where were you going, you little monkey?"

Yukhei throws himself back into his father's arms, wiggling and babbling as he stares at the wall, unaware of the ruckus he just caused.

A pale Taemin hurries to cup his son's face and inspect him to make sure he's alright, then Baekhyun starts asking when they'll finally eat because he's hungry, and he doesn't seem too fazed that his brother has started walking on walls.

It takes Taemin a couple more minutes to calm down and lead everyone to the dining table, and Baekhyun points out to everyone that he was the one who thought about folding the napkins that way, and everyone congratulates him.

The dinner is loud and busy. Baekhyun sits between Chanyeol and Jongdae and keeps ranting to them both about school, his friends, his superpowers, and how he’s seen Minseok in a lot of books at the library but they keep calling him Jack Frost and the drawings aren't always very accurate, and Minseok is giggling in front of him.

Taemin is talking with Jinki, Minho, and Sehun about all the daily terrors Yukhei puts him through, and Junmyeon listens to everything very closely, nodding regularly but not saying anything. Jongin is talking about some work-related things with Kyungsoo and Kibum while keeping an eye on Yukhei who's eating eagerly and sometimes repeating after Baekhyun, chirping just a few of the words his brother just said.

"Be careful, he's trying to reach for the kimchi," Kibum suddenly interrupts Jongin in the middle of a sentence, pointing at the toddler who's leaning over the table, his chopsticks desperately trying to grab some food.

Jongin blinks, then smiles and moves the cup of kimchi closer to Yukhei.

"Thank, Papa!"

"You're welcome, sweetie," Jongin says and tousles his son's hair.

When he turns back to his two friends, they're both looking at him in horror.

"What?"

"Isn't he too young to eat kimchi?" Kyungsoo chokes.

"It's sweetened, isn't it?" Kibum asks, alarmed.

And Jongin smiles.

"Don't worry, he likes spicy food. It's alright. Baekhyun still dips his kimchi in water before eating it, but Xuxi doesn't want to. It's fine though, I promise."

The others don't seem convinced in the least and keep looking worriedly over at Yukhei who's messily putting kimchi over his rice with his chopsticks and then scooping everything into his mouth with his free hand.

The rest of the dinner goes by without any accidents. Jongin keeps telling everyone to eat more and finish every dish, Baekhyun is bouncing on Chanyeol lap while waiting for dessert, and Yukhei has migrated to Taemin's arms, cuddling up to his father with one thumb in his mouth as he watches everyone else keep talking about things he doesn't understand.

The dinner runs late, and soon Baekhyun is playing with Minho next to the dining table as they chat about what Santa Claus will bring them this year, and Baekhyun tells him about the second Christmas dinner he'll be having with his grandparents and cousins in a couple of days.

Kyungsoo and Jongdae are the first ones who try to clean up and everyone gets up to help. At some point, Chanyeol excuses himself because he has to get back home to his family, and Baekhyun whines a little until Sehun offers to play Jenga with him. Kibum, Jongin, and Junmyeon join them while the other adults start peeling and cutting fruits to eat. Yukhei is already in a deep sleep on Kyungsoo, and Baekhyun is starting to doze off against Sehun's shoulder when they all realize how late is it.

Jongin and Taemin take their children to bed while all of their guests get busy in the kitchen to finish cleaning everything.

Junmyeon and Sehun are the last ones to leave. Junmyeon is busy whispering to Jongin that he has a theory about Yukhei's powers, and he just needs to think about it a little more when he's not so tired.

"It was really nice having you here for Christmas," Taemin nods to Sehun. "I hope we'll keep seeing you around."

"I won't allow Junmyeon to break up with me," Sehun answers with a smile. "So, I'll keep showing up."

Junmyeon pretends to whine to hide his smile and pushes Sehun out of the house with a few puffs, waving to their friends.

When they're finally alone, Taemin lets out a long sigh and lets himself fall back into Jongin's arms.

"I'm exhausted."

Jongin laughs softly into Taemin's hair and tightens his hold.

"We did well! It was a lot of fun."

Taemin hums and pouts.

"Yeah, it was."

"I'll tell them that we're not hosting the dinner next year, though," Jongin snorts.

Taemin giggles and closes his arms around his husband's waist.

"Thank you," he chirps before pressing a long, soft kiss to Jongin's lips.

.

.

.


	7. Christmas Morning

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It's Christmas morning, and the whole house is silent except for the soft padding of little feet tiptoeing toward the parents' bedroom. They stop right in front of the door, and Baekhyun squats down to be on Yukhei's level, but his little brother immediately imitates him and curls up on the floor. They're holding hands, and Yukhei is squeezing his stuffed fox against his chest, a pacifier in his mouth, watching as Baekhyun stares down at his Nemo watch. Baekhyun inhales loudly through his nose as the hands move, and Yukhei tries to do the same, fails, drops his pacifier on the ground, lets go of his brother's hand, puts his pacifier back in his mouth, and then stares at the door.

"It's time!" Baekhyun squeals as the hands finally show 7 am precisely.

"Time!" Yukhei shouts.

They both get up, and Baekhyun quickly opens the door for them to burst into the room giggling. Baekhyun throws himself onto the bed, landing on Taemin who groans and turns around, while Yukhei approaches the other side of the bed and desperately tries to climb up with little whines.

"Papa! Papa! Papa!"

Jongin yawns, grumbles, and then picks up his younger son to drag him under the blankets, making Yukhei squeak.

"It's Christmas!" Baekhyun screams as he rolls over both his parents and earns himself grumbled complaints. "Christmas! We're getting presents! Merry Christmas!"

Jongin is busy cuddling Yukhei and trying to get his son back to sleep, so Taemin grabs Baekhyun and pushes him against the pillows to shut him up, but it only results in making him laugh.

"Quiet, munchkin!" Taemin groans.

"But Dad, you said we could come at 7 am, and it's 7 am! We should get up and open presents! And I want hot chocolate!"

"Cookie," Yukhei chirps awkwardly around his pacifier.

"Five more minutes," Jongin pouts.

"But Papa," Baekhyun whines.

"Papa!" Yukhei whines in turn and wiggles around to pull his father's hair.

Jongin doesn't even bulge, far too used to this kind of mistreatment. Taemin finally sits up, his hair sticking to his forehead, and stares at his two kids who look back at him with wide, round, owlish eyes.

"What about Christmas cuddles?" Taemin croaks.

Baekhyun immediately grins and wriggles out of the blankets to reach his father and wrap himself around him. Taemin relaxes and laughs softly, his arms closing around his child as he kisses the top of Baekhyun's head repeatedly.

"That's far better."

"But the presents, though..." Baekhyun says softly.

"Cookie," Yukhei says as he climbs on top of Jongin and walks all over him.

"Fine," Jongin sighs. "Fine, I'll get up."

It takes a few more minutes to get Jongin sitting in bed, during which time Baekhyun and Yukhei keep trying to drag their parents out of their room, and Taemin is being a lot more cooperative. It's only when Baekhyun suddenly freezes at the edge of the bed that Jongin completely wakes up.

"Papa!" Baekhyun yells. "Santa Claus! Santa Claus came! The trap!"

And without waiting for anyone anymore, Baekhyun bolts out of the room and hurtles down the stairs at lightspeed. Jongin immediately flings himself after him, leaving Taemin and Yukhei behind. He really hopes his whole plan and Chanyeol's idea worked out and that Baekhyun will believe everything his little camera caught.

Taemin snorts and turns to Yukhei who looks as surprised as him with this whole turn of events.

"Those two, really..." Taemin sighs.

"Dada, cookie please."

Taemin smiles softly and picks up his son to take him downstairs, not forgetting to grab the stuffed fox that fell to the ground earlier during Yukhei's fight to wake Jongin up.

They go down the stairs to find Baekhyun curled up on Jongin's lap on the couch, both staring at the camera, completely disregarding the presents under the tree. Taemin sits next to them with Yukhei and peeks at the little screen showing Santa come down the chimney and chug down the glass of milk before eating the cookies they left by the tree.

Jongin watches with wide eyes as Taeyeon stood back up and stretched in their living room, imitated a perfect Santa's "Ho Ho Ho," and started to empty her sack of presents under their tree. Jongin looks at Baekhyun in apprehension only to find his son with wide, enchanted eyes and a large grin on his face.

"It's him!" Baekhyun whispers in awe. "It's _him_! He's _real_!"

Yukhei leans on his brother to watch as well and starts clapping.

"Santa! Santa Clau'!"

"Yes, it's him," Jongin giggles.

Baekhyun looks so happy and proud to have caught Santa Claus on tape that his eyes are shining and all the lights in the house start twinkling. And Jongin reminds himself to thank Taeyeon profusely and find her the best Christmas present ever. He'll also find something incredible for Chanyeol, to thank him for even thinking about asking their shapeshifter friend and convincing her to turn into a large, jolly man and be filmed.

Then Yukhei starts asking for cookies again and begins getting pouty about it, so Jongin gets up to prepare a quick breakfast to bring back as they all sit under the Christmas tree and start opening their presents.

Baekhyun goes first because Yukhei is far too busy drooling on his cookies to pay attention to presents and toys. Baekhyun starts picking out gifts, reading who they're for, and handing them out to his fathers, his brother, or piling them into a neat stack when they're his. He's extremely excited when he notices that his pile is getting taller than Yukhei. As soon as he’s done sorting all the presents out, he starts opening everything in his pile at once. He gets a couple of books, a pullover, a board game about penguins, a set to try out some scientific experiments, and each toy and present gets him giddy with happiness. Then he goes to help Yukhei open his own things and marvel with his younger brother at the books, modeling clay, fox hat, wooden blocks, and puzzle that he got. They both roll around on the floor in their pajamas, cookies and hot chocolate forgotten, and then they immediately open Yukhei's puzzle and decide to try it out together.

On the couch, Jongin is snuggling up to Taemin, his face hidden in his husband's neck as he fights sleepiness.

"Jonginnie, I want to open my presents," Taemin says softly as he strokes Jongin's hair.

Jongin hums but doesn't move.

"You gotta let me reach them," Taemin insists.

"Five more minutes," Jongin whines as he squirms to hug Taemin more comfortably.

Taemin giggles and cups Jongin's face to force him into a kiss. Jongin sighs against his lips and smiles sleepily.

"I love you," Jongin whispers.

"I love you too, you sleepy bear."

Jongin grins and finally straightens up enough for Taemin to grab the presents Baekhyun put into a little pile in front of him.

He finds a new oversized baby blue sweater, earrings, and a book, and he laughs as he presses a myriad of kisses all over Jongin's face and whispers how perfect his presents are.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Jongin beams, a faint blush covering his cheeks.

"Are you happy?"

"I'm the happiest."

Jongin gives him a proud smile, and Taemin presses him to open his presents. There are a few presents all wrapped up together that Baekhyun mistook for being all Jongin's, but once Jongin unties the ribbon holding them together, he finds four little gifts, one for each member of their family. Baekhyun and Yukhei forget about their puzzle, far too excited to find out they have one more thing to open. They all find the same reindeer onesie in different sizes, and Jongin can't stop laughing. He's pretty sure they came from Chanyeol.

They all change into their new pajamas, and the kids go back to playing while Taemin sips on his coffee, lovingly watching over Jongin as he opens up a new bear mug, a fancy black coat, and a silver ring.

"Please, don't lose it," Taemin simpers as he kisses Jongin's cheek.

"I won't! I promise I won't," Jongin whispers in awe. "Thank you, Taeminnie."

Baekhyun and Yukhei hop back to their fathers to see what presents Santa Claus brought them. Yukhei climbs up Taemin's leg and makes his way to sit between his fathers before he asks for one more cookie while Baekhyun is waltzing around, showing off his brand-new green pullover.

A few energetic knocks on the door startle them all, and Baekhyun immediately runs to open the door to a disheveled Junmyeon.

"Hey there Baekhyunnie, can I come in?"

Baekhyun nods and trots back to the living room a little surprised.

"It's uncle Junmyeon," he says loudly as Junmyeon appears behind him, short of breath.

Jongin immediately frowns and straightens up, and he can feel Taemin freeze next to him.

"Is everything alright?" Jongin asks worriedly, already pushing Yukhei into Taemin's arms to get up.

Junmyeon leans against the door frame and seems to finally notice the confusion and concern he put the whole family in. Baekhyun is looking up to him with pleading eyes.

"Papa has to go?"

Junmyeon blinks a couple of times and then flails his arms around in slight panic.

"What? Oh no, no! I'm sorry! I came because I finally figured it out!" Junmyeon laboriously breathes out. "I got it! Yukhei's powers!"

The whole Lee family looks at him in disbelief, and the room is quiet for a couple of seconds before Baekhyun blurts out.

"So, what is it?"

Junmyeon jumps and smiles.

"Gravity!" he screams, throwing his fist in the air. "Yukhei controls gravity! Elementary, actually! I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner. He can control the force of gravity for himself and anything or anyone he touches!"

Taemin's jaw falls open, and Jongin looks back and forth between his coworker, who looks like he just discovered the most obscure secret he’s ever had to face, and his son, who is playing with his own toes.

"Really?" Baekhyun asks. "That's so awesome!"

Taemin asks for more explanations, and Jongin asks Junmyeon to stay for a coffee, maybe a cookie. Junmyeon agrees, mumbling that he can’t stay too long because Sehun is waiting for him, but he still sits with them and explains all of his theories and discoveries with words easy enough for Baekhyun to understand.

Junmyeon ends up staying a little over an hour, only realizing how long he has been there when Baekhyun suddenly points out that it's snowing outside. At some point, Baekhyun grew tired of all the explanations and decided to go back to doing puzzles with Yukhei.

Jongin and Taemin send Junmyeon off with a lot of thanks and praises, and when they find themselves alone in the hall, Taemin seeks the warmth of Jongin's arms around him.

"I feel like we're in for quite a ride."

Jongin laughs softly, a little awkwardly.

"I think so too. It's going to be a lot more difficult than keeping Baekhyun's powers under control."

Taemin sighs and snuggles closer to him. His voice comes faint and muffled.

"We can do it, right?"

"You and me? Of course, we can."

Taemin smiles fondly against Jongin's neck and moves enough to look up to him.

"I love you so much, Lee Jongin," Taemin whispers.

Jongin presses a kiss to Taemin's nose, and he doesn't need to say anything for Taemin to read in his eyes how much he loves him back.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," Taemin says softly.

"Let's not find out," Jongin pouts.

"Let's not," Taemin answers with a giggle.

They hear a few bursts of laughter coming from the living room, and they go back to find Yukhei and Baekhyun playing with Yukhei's modeling clay and trying to build bears. Jongin and Taemin steal a glance at each other, smile, and immediately run to kneel with their kids and help them out.

"Merry Christmas!" Baekhyun yells, throwing his arms in the air as he looks happily around the coffee table at everyone.

"Merry Chri'mas!" Yukhei squeals in turn.

"Merry Christmas!"

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ♥
> 
> Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you like this little collection.


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